The cover of the new book “Red Clay and Dust”
A new book on dirt track racing has been released called “Red Clay and Dust – The Evolution of Southern Dirt Racing.” Actually, it is the only book currently out on dirt track racing, especially dirt late models.
That was the motivation by author Gary Parker. Parker, a retired anthropology instructor at the University of Tennessee, has been around dirt late model racing since the 1950’s. No book of this kind existed and many of Parker’s racing friends persuaded him for years to write this book.
“People like Charlie Mincy and Leon Sells have told me for years I needed to write this book,” Parker said. “They said ‘you’ve been around it for so long, you’d be the perfect person to write this book.’ My only regret is not writing it sooner because some of the people from the early days are no longer with us.”
The book focuses on the evolution of the dirt late model racing in the south from the 1950’s until present day. One chapter is one the changes in the cars during that period of time. Parker was careful to keep the chapter from being too technical.
“There is a whole chapter on the evolution of the dirt late models,” Parker stated. “I had to be careful and not get too technical. I had to write it for the average fan. If you get too technical, some people will lose interest and might think the whole book is that way.”
A book on dirt late model racing would not be complete without the drivers. A number of drivers are covered from the early years to present day. Stories ranging from the intensity of certain drivers to humorous tidbits cover a wide range of the make-up of these drivers.
“There is some humor in the book,” Parker said. “There are some stories the drivers tell about some of the situations they have been in. Many of them just opened up and would tell all kinds of stories, some were not suitable to put into the book.”
Another chapter is on the different series that has been a part of dirt late model racing over the years. Everything from the NDRA to Southern All-Stars to the Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series is covered in the book.
“I cover most of the series in the book,” Parker added. “In doing research on the NDRA for this book, that gave me the idea for my next book, which will be the history of the NDRA. There just isn’t a lot of information out there on it. I don’t think dirt late models would be where they’re at today had it not been for the NDRA.”
The book “Red Clay and Dust – The Evolution of Southern Dirt Racing” is available at places such as Amazon and Barnes and Noble.
